Thor's hammer and other heavy objects
by MMProductions
Summary: Time travel, Hunters, Thor's hammer, Viking parties. Just about anything could happen..!
1. Chapter 1

**Thor's hammer and other heavy objects**

 **Chapter 1**

Dean opened the trunk of the Impala, and wrinkled his nose at how messy it was - it could really need a serious round of spring-cleaning. They had been throwing things in there for way too long without tidying up. But now that Castiel had come back from purgatory, Dean had regained a bit more peace of mind; and it seemed high time that he focused on making his Baby presentable again.

He began by removing all of the trash, and tossing the various spare parts in couple of plastic bags. He picked up their duffle bags and the bags he just filled, and carried them to the motel room where he and Sam stayed for the moment. They where hunting an exceptionally infuriating demon which was harassing the town they where staying in.

Sam looked up from his computer when Dean entered with the huge load of bags.

"You planning on staying permanently or...?" Sam asked.

Dean threw all the bags on his bed.

"Thought it was time we cleaned up in some of the crap we've gathered." He answered.

Sam agreed; it wasn't a bad idea - it wasn't like they had any notions on how to stop the demon right now anyway. He shut his laptop and went over to help his brother with the sorting. He seated himself on the edge of the bed and began sorting through a plastic bag, while Dean went through a duffle bag at the foot of the bed.

The bag had been heavier than the other ones, and Dean was excited to see what was in it. Of all the things he had expected, a huge hammer with strange engravings definitely wasn't one of them. He had seen the hammer before, at the monster auction they had been to with Kevin. It was Thors hammer.

"What the hell, Sam?" Dean asked and lifted the hammer - it was heavier than it looked he noted.

Sam frowned. "Shit, I had completely forgotten that."

"You _forgot_ that you put Thors hammer in the trunk of my car? How is that even possible?"

Sam shrugged. "I thought it was irresponsible to leave it in the hands of those thugs, so I took it. But since then we have had a lot of things on our plate, so I hadn't really thought about it."

Dean realised that Sam had a point, but what the heck was they supposed to do with it?

"So, what now? What do we do with it? I don't know about you, but I don't exactly S.H.I.E.L.D on speed dial."

"Maybe," Sam hesitated "maybe we should deliver it back where it belongs, you know in the Viking Age. Cas could probably do it."

Dean didn't care much for the idea. He wasn't sure if Castiel was back at full strength jet, and he knew that time travel usually took it's toll on the angel. But if Castiel should only transport himself and the hammer, it wasn't sure it would be quite as hard on him, as if he should transport all three of them. So he called Castiel, and a few seconds later the angel was standing in their room.

"So what do you say, Cas? You think you can do it?" Dean asked after he had explained Castiel the situation.

"The further back in time I have to go, the harder it will be. But it is possible." Castiel answered.

They all approved of the plan, and agreed that Castiel should go. Nevertheless Dean wanted him to hurry back afterwards.

Just as Castiel was about to place his hand on the hammer, the door was flung open and a thick black smoke; that was definitely demonic, filled the room. But before Dean could even react, he felt the uncomfortable; but jet familiar, feeling of being teleported. Next he knew; he was standing in a forest, watching the demon slither away into the shadows of the trees.

Dean looked around, and quickly spotted Sam - who seemed to be okay, standing close by. Then he noticed Castiel who was lying motionless on the ground.

"Cas!" He said, while he rapidly sat down beside his friend. He tried to wake him, but the angel was completely wiped out, but at least he was still breathing. The hammer was lying beside him.

"What happened?" Sam asked confused.

"Cas probably tried to save us from the whole demon situation, by zapping us with him." Dean answered as he looked up at Sam.

Sam sighed. "Yeah, but he also took the demon with him.

"Yeah, and so what? It ran off, we'll find it soon enough. Besides a demon is the least of out problems right now." Dean replied, as he once more watched the unconscious angel.

"Dean, you know I didn't mean it like that…"

"Where the hell are we even?" Dean interrupted him.

Sam shook his head in defeat. "I don't think it's the right question to ask _where_ we are, but rather _when_ we are."

Shit. Sam was right, Castiel wouldn't be knocked unconscious like this, if he had just zapped them to the nearest forest. No, they had definitely travelled back in time - way back in time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Ragnar sat silently in the thicket. A doe stood unsuspecting a couple of hundred meters away, eating from the fresh beech sprouts. Just as he put the arrow on the bowstring, readying himself for the shoot, a strange gust of wind went trough the forest. The doe raced terrified away and the sound of frightened birds filled the forest. Ragnar ducked instinctively, while he slowly oriented himself, he could not figure out what had scared the animals.

But he did not have to wait long for the answer. Suddenly he heard voices in the distance. He sneaked over to the clearing where the voices were coming from, and looked in wonder at the two men who stood there. They where to consumed by their own conversation to take any notice of his presence. It took awhile before Ragnar noticed the third man; he was lying unconsciously in the grass between the to other men. The unconscious man was not what caught his attention though; it was the huge hammer that was lying beside him.

"Did you hear that?" Sam turned around, peering after the origin of the sound. He was sure he had hears some leaf rustle close to were they stood. "What?" Dean look confused at Sam, he had not really been listening.

Sam stood with his back against Dean and peered into the forest. "We should not stay here in the open, we are way to exposed."

But it was too late. In the exact moment he spoke, Dean was pulled up by the collar and a strong hand was placed around his neck and an axe head was held against his throat. Sam turned around in surprise, hands rising in surrender as he saw his brother's problematic situation.

"You try something and he loses his head." His accent was strong, but surprisingly, both Sam and Dean understood what the man was saying.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Ragnars grip around Deans neck was too tight for him to speak, so instead he looked to Sam for answers.

"I'm Sam. The guy you are holding is my brother Dean, and that's Castiel." Cautiously Sam pointed towards Castiel. He was well aware that any fast movements was unwise, as long as the stranger was holding an axe to his brother's throat.

"And what we are doing here, is kind of long story." He ended.

Ragnar examined Sam's face closely, but saw no indication of him lying. He did not estimate him to be any real threat either, so he let go of Dean with a light push, and put his axe back in his belt. Dean massaged his neck while he took place beside his brother.

"Alright, Sam, Dean. My name is Ragnar.. Ragnar Lothbrok." Sending Dean a quirky smile he continued. "I apologise for the harsh treatment, but you can never be too careful." Dean had to agree with him, he would probably had done the same, had the roles been reversed.

"You don't happen to know where we are exactly, and what year this is?" Dean asked.

"You don't know where you are, or what year it is?" Ragnar gave him a sceptical glare, before he shifted his attention to the hammer lying beside the unconscious Castiel.

"Like I said," Sam began "It's kind of a long story how we ended up here, and truthfully, I don't think you would believe it if we told you." He shrugged apologetically.

"It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with your unconscious friend there and the mysteries hammer?" Ragnar gave the to strangers, Sam and Dean, an expectant stare, but none of them said a word. "Alright." Ragnar said after a moment, certain that he would not get an answer. "You are in Kattegat and it's the year 795."

The brothers looked at each other; for once they were speechless. The year 795, after Christ they both presumed. They had seriously ended up in the Viking Age. No wonder Castiel was impossible to wake, it was a miracle he was not dead.

They did not time to panic over the fact that they were now stranded in 795, they had to figure out what to do next. They could not stay in the forest that was certain. They had no idea what kind of wild animals roamed the forests in the Viking Age. Dean was not even sure he knew exactly where Kattegat was, somewhere in Scandinavia he presumed. Checking his Google Maps was out of the question, he was quite positive that his phone would not find service in their current location. That meant that their only real chance of survival was with Ragnar. Attacking the Viking would be suicidal. Not only was he extremely strong, Dean had already felt that, he also had a weapon on him; something they lacked at the moment.

Dean was certain that neither he nor Sam could get to the hammer on the ground, before Ragnar would have chopped them both to neat little pieces.

"Will you help us?" Dean asked "We kinda need a safe place where we can stay, at least until Cas wakes up."

Ragnar nodded "You can stay as my guest, I live not far from here." It was very hospitable of him, but Dean was not sure if they could trust the guy. It was merely minutes ago he tried to strangle him. "We are truly grateful." Sam answered when Dean didn't. "We are really far from home."

"I can see that." Ragnar replied. "Where exactly is it, that you come from? Where do people wear such strange clothes?"

"Ahh.." Sam wavered and frowned.

Dean was uncertain what to say as well. As far as he knew people from Europe had yet to discover America, so telling him that they where from The States was as believable as saying they were from Narnia.

"We are come from the west." Dean eventually explained.

"From England?" Ragnar inquired.

"Yes." Dean answered. When you lie, short answers were always the best way to go.

"Interesting, I have been to England, but I have never encountered anyone like you." Dean had the feeling that the Viking wary of them as they were of him. But then again, he could not really blame the guy.

"Western part of England." Dean clarified in lack of a better explanation.

"Why are you here in Kattegat?" Ragnar asked, as he spared a quick glance towards the hammer that was still lying on the ground; something that did not go unnoticed by Dean. He was sure that Ragnar knew exactly whom the hammer belonged to.

"We are here to deliver the hammer to someone we can trust." Dean saw the surprised look Sam sent him. Dean did not see a reason lie though, it was clear that the Viking knew precisely what they had. Besides Dean was getting impatient. The forest reminded him of purgatory, and he somehow believed that a monster could burst out at any moment.

"I guess I have to prove myself trustworthy then." Ragnar replied. "Lets go back to my hall."

"Well then," Dean exclaimed in relief "Sam you take the hammer, and Ragnar you can give me a hand with Cas." Dean did not trust the Viking enough to let him take the hammer, at least not yet. Ragnar did not utter any protests. Sam took the hammer, and Ragnar and Dean got Castiel hoisted up between them.

"So tell me, why is he unconscious?" Ragnar asked.

"Jetlag." Dean answered, he was growing tired of all these questions, but an annoyed glare from Sam made him elaborate. "Cas fell, hid his head, he'll wake up soon enough." At least he hoped so.

"I actually believed you knocked him out yourself." Ragnar said with ease.

"Why?" Dean asked defensively.

"A disobedient slave." Ragnar answered with a shrug.

Dean snorted. "Slave? Cas isn't our slave, he's our friend." What on earth had given the Viking that crazy idea?

Ragnar seemed a bit surprised by this. "Then why is he wearing a rope around his neck?"

Dean rolled his eyes; he hoped that Castiel would wake up soon so they could get the hell out of this place. He had a feeling that Ragnar had a long list of similar questions. The Viking was getting way to curious about the strange world that they were giving him an awareness of just by being there. "It's called a tie, okay? Where we come from men wear them as decoration."

"That seems very unpractical." Ragnar stated.

On that, Dean could only agree with the Viking, but he wanted the small talk to be over, so he decided not to answer.

They went on in silence for a few minutes, before Dean began to feel the weight of the angel he was carrying.

"Hey Sam, when we get home we seriously need to get Cas on a diet. He's getting heavy over here." Dean joked.

Dean had barely spoken the words when Ragnar stopped, and before Dean could even comprehend what was happening, the Viking had hurled Castiel over his shoulder and had started walking again without a word.

Dean stood speechless, staring after the Viking who sauntered effortlessly through the forest with an unconscious angel dangling over his shoulder.

"What the h…" Dean mumbled while he stood like he was nailed to the ground. How dared he? Castiel was not a piece of meat; he could not just throw him around like that.

"Are you coming?" Sam asked; he had stopped as well when he had noticed that Dean was not following.

Dean had to blink a couple of times before he felt like himself again, and then he hurried past Sam and up to the Viking. Sam hurried to keep up, primarily because he was afraid that Dean would do something stupid.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Dean exclaimed angrily when he finally caught up with Ragnar. "You said yourself that you thought he was heavy. I just wanted to make it easier for you. Then maybe when can get out of the forest before it gets dark." The Viking answered calmly.

"That does not mean that you can go into some kind of Obelix-mode and claim him like he's some kind of price." Dean retorted with balled fists. If Castiel was hurt in any way, Dean was ready to fight the Viking, weapons or not. He did not trust the Viking enough to leave Thor's hammer in his possession, so he certainly did not trust him enough to leave Castiel's life in his hands.

Ragnar stopped abruptly and gave Dean a confused look. He had no idea what Dean was referring to. The look Ragnar gave Dean just angered him even more; it reminded him painfully of the look Castiel would give him when he made a reference the angel did not understand.

Dean opened his mouth to tell the Viking off, and make it clear to him, that if anything happened to Castiel, he would answer to him, but Sam placed his hand on Dean's shoulder just in time.

"Dean, calm down." Sam looked between the two men. "Don't mind him, he's just worried about Castiel's wellbeing."

Ragnar seemingly accepted the explanation and continued walking. Both the Winchesters stayed behind until they were sure they could not be overheard.

"Dude, you gotta relax. You can't get into a fight with a damn Viking. He can probably rip your head off without even breaking a sweat." Sam told him.

"So what, you just want me to let Hulk here run around with Cas like he was his new doll?" Dean said, casting a scowling glare after Ragnar, who was already well on his way. Dean began to follow; he would not let him out of his sight. Sam trailed his brother.

"I know you're worried about Cas, but Ragnar is right, it's faster this way." Sam knew how overprotective Dean could be when it came to Castiel. "Cas will be alright, I mean, if anyone of us has chance against Ragnar it's Cas."

"Yeah, if he was conscious, not when he is carried around like some damsel in distress by bloody macho man there." Dean spat. His anger was slowly dispersing, but that did not mean that he was all right with the situation.

Sam frowned and looked at his brother's grim face. Then he smiled, a smile that suddenly grew to a grin. "Wait, are you… are you jaloux?"

Dean looked even grimmer after Sam's comment, if that was even possible. "Shut up, of course I ain't." He snapped at Sam, before he started walking even faster to catch up with Ragnar, whom had already cleared the forest.

"Yeah, right." Sam muttered to himself as he too sped up the pace.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The gong signalled that dinner was starting. A crowd was gathering in the great hall and the fire pits were burning brightly in the centre of the room. The atmosphere was warm and hearty, despite the arrival of the strangers. Slave girls entered one after the other, all heavily loaded with mead in large pitchers, meat on platters and hefty amounts of filleted fish. Ragnar dropped down in the fur-coated chair. Lagertha sat to his left, instinctively caressing her pregnant belly which was slowly beginning to show. The sound of the many voices in the great hall was almost deafening, when Sam and Dean entered. Ragnar spotted the two of them soon after they had entered, and he could not help but smile when he saw the look of surprise on their faces. A crowd of high-spirited Vikings was a sight to behold. Ragnar called the attention, and soon all eyes was on Lagertha and him.

"Welcome my brothers, to this summer solstice celebration." Great rejoicing sounded in the hall, and Ragnar had to shush the crowd again before he could continue. "And let me welcome our guests, Sam and Dean, who is a long way from home. " With his hand he gestured the two of them furtherer into the hall. Deans continued displeasure was clear on his face, but Ragnar ignored it and instead he gave them an encouraging smile before he continued. "Receive them well and make them feel at home in our midst." The crowd nodded in unison. "And with that, I think there is nothing more to say than, let the feast begin!" Laughter and cheering broke out and the mood was once again wild and the mead was flowing in huge amounts.

Dean pushed his way through the horde of bearded Vikings. He was already well into his third glass of mead and he had to admit; it was some pretty strong stuff.

With a goofy grin he turned and faced Sam who was right behind him.

"Fuck heaven, this is the place to be." Dean slurred a bit, as his eyes surveyed a young slave girl who was filling his cup once again.

"Maybe you should slow down a bit, we are still stuck in the middle of the Viking age with a demon on the loose, if you haven't forgotten." Dean nodded along with Sam's ranting while he glanced around for the meat platter. Sam might as well talk to the door; the likelihood of it actually listening was about the same as with Dean. Sam shook his head in apprehension; he might as well enjoy it a little now they were here. He had just taken a sip of his mead, when an arm was thrown heavily around his shoulders and a warm breath hit his ear. "She is a beautiful woman, isn't she?"

Sam almost choked on the mead. He had not even noticed that he was staring at a young woman with long blond hair, before the Viking, who held him in an iron grip, had pointed it out.

"I didn't mean to stare." Sam almost stammered, afraid that he might have offended someone.

The Viking burst into a hearty laugh. "Nothing wrong with looking my friend, and she is a sight to behold." He gave Sam a nudge, it was probably meant as a friendly gesture, but Sam was convinced it would leave a bruise.

Gyda and Björn was finally fast asleep. Athelstan could hear laughter and chatter from the inside great hall when he walked past on the way to his room. He was nearly there when he could feel he was being watched. He glanced down the corridor and saw a medium tall man looking back at him with confusion written all over his face. Athelstan was sure it was one of the men that Ragnar had encountered in the woods and had invited back with him. The man did not look like someone from around here; he did not look like someone from West England either, though. Athelstan had a feeling that there was more to the story than the men had told, and Ragnar had agreed with him, but that was something they kept to themselves, at least for now.

Castiel was surprised he could even stand after the trip he had just made with the Winchesters, it was actually kind of surprising he was even still alive considering. Then again, he hardly felt like a living being right now. He was completely drained and he could barely stand up straight. Still, his first thoughts when he came too had been about the safety of Dean and Sam. Castiel had no idea where they were and, maybe more importantly, when they were, but he could feel that they were very far from home, both in time and in place.

Castiel regarded the strange man that stood in front of him; he looked a bit frightened. Castiel believed his appearance to be the cause of this, it would not be the first time he had frightened a human. At least the man was human; he could not feel anything supernatural about him. He did not seem like a threat either, which was a good thing, Castiel was not sure he could have put up much of a fight in his current condition.

"Fear not, I will not harm you." Castiel said as soothing as possible, though Dean had told him more than once, that it often appeared more creepy than soothing, and his current state of wobbling did nothing to help. "I'm looking for two men, Sam and Dean Winchester. Do you know where they are?"

"I think they are in the great hall." The man answered, he still had an air of fear about him, but he managed to point at a large door not far from where they stood.

Castiel did not have time to care about the stranger's feelings at the moment though, he had to find Dean and Sam and make sure that they were okay. He did not know how long he had been unconscious; it could have been weeks. He gave the man a second look maybe he knew something.

"How long has Sam and Dean been here?" He asked.

"It's only been a few hours since Ragnar found all three of you in the forest." The man answered.

If it had only been a few hours since they arrived it was nothing short of a miracle that he was awake already. It looked like God or whoever usually kept bringing him back to life, had protected him once again.

"You don't have to worry, your friends is fine. They weren't harmed in any way." Castiel studied the man once again, he seemed sincere and like a good man, but Castiel still wanted to check the brothers well being for himself.

"Excuse me." Castiel said as he walked past the man, heading towards the large door. His footing was still uneasy, and he had to stop for a moment and wait for the world to stop spinning.

"Do you need a hand?" The man asked.

"No, I'll be fine." Castiel answered and took a deep breath before he continued down the corridor. The closer he got to the door, the higher the noise got. It did not sound like trouble or a fight though; it sounded more like a party.

The sound of cheerful chatter made Castiel feel more at ease. He glanced back and saw that the man was still watching him from a safe distance.

Castiel opened the door and was met by a huge room filled with people and food. He walked inside and closed the door behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The first one Castiel spotted was Sam. He was easy to spot, both because of his height and his different clothing. Castiel eyed his own clothes; he was not exactly fitting in either, maybe that had been the reason for the discomfort of the man in the corridor.

Nonetheless, Castiel had now confirmed the young Winchester's safety for himself. Right now, Sam was deep in conversation with a young woman. Castiel considered for a moment if he should interrupt to tell him that he was all right as well, but he thought it more important to find Dean.

Castiel walked furtherer into the crowd and it did not take long before he spotted Dean as well. Castiel let out a breath of relief; Dean was okay. He did look like he had been drinking though, and quite heavily from the sight of it. He was standing close to two Vikings who were currently in the middle of an arm wrestling match; Dean looked intrigued.

Castiel began to make his way over to Dean to tell him he was awake and fine as well. He was a few feet away when Dean spotted him approaching. Dean lit up in the most dazzling smile Castiel had ever seen, he was not sure whether it was the joy of seeing him or the alcohol that was the cause though.

"Cas! You're awake." Dean exclaimed and flung his arms around the angel in a bear hug, when he finally reached him. "Hello Dean." Castiel said with a smile playing on his lips. It did not matter if it was the alcohol that caused the hug, Castiel was pleased just the same.

Dean let go of him again. "Are you alright? You look wiped." He pinned Castiel with a serious expression.

"I'm fine." Castiel assured Dean, even though he was not completely sure it was the truth. "How about you and Sam, were you hurt?"

"No, we're fine." Dean said with a nonchalant hand gesture and then he lit up in another big smile. "By the way, this place is amazing. The food, the mead - truly amazing!"

Castiel glanced around at the Vikings, he had his doubts about whether it was a good idea getting drunk in their present company. "Maybe we should go get Sam and be on our way."

"Nonsense, Sam's found himself a cute girl and he deserves some fun and we deserve some mead. Come on." Dean began pulling Castiel's arm to get him to follow.

Castiel was about to protest, that maybe alcohol was not the best idea in his current state, but he was interrupted when a tall Viking blocked their way.

"I see the last of my guests has finally awoken." The man sent Castiel a warm smile.

Dean's grip on Castiel's arm tightened almost painfully, Castiel was not sure why though, he did not perceive the man to be any threat at this moment.

"Hi Ragnar." Dean uttered drily.

Castiel watched Dean and the Viking; he had a feeling that he was missing something.

The Viking who apparently was named Ragnar seemed quite pleased at Castiel's arrival in the Great Hall. He stepped past Dean, so that he could stand in front of Castiel. He looked at the angel with great curiosity. "Your friend Dean tells me that you are not a slave, but that you just like to dress up with a rope around your neck." Ragnar sent Castiel such a charming smile that it would make even the hardiest Viking a bit lightheaded. Castiel looked a bit flushed, he had no idea what the Viking was referring to, but he had obviously missed out on quite a bit while he had been unconscious. Ragnar did not seem fazed by the angel's lack of response and continued. "Either way, I'm pleased to see you awake and well." Ragnar placed his hand on Castiel's shoulder in a brotherly manner.

Dean, who had been forced to step back to avoid being trampled by the Viking, was now standing further away from Castiel than he liked to. When Dean saw Ragnar put his hand on Castiel's shoulder, the anger and resentment from earlier came rushing back.

Ragnar however, was completely unaware of Dean's growing displeasure and continued his one-sided conversation with the angel.

"Your friend thinks you should lose some weight." Ragnar continued with a grin while he gave Castiel's shoulder a squeeze and winked at him. "But don't worry. I will certainly carry you again, should you ever need it. Despite you height, you're not much heavier than Athelstan."

Whether it was the alcohol or just Dean's generally poor patience, he could not stop himself from interrupting. He pushed Ragnar slightly away, so that he once again could stand between him and the angel.

"Athelstan" Dean said, "I believe I have heard that name mentioned a couple of times this evening, who is that?" It sounded like this Athelstan was someone special, at least to Ragnar. Dean did not think it could hurt to know if the Viking had any weaknesses that could be exploited if necessary. Physically he did not seem to have any but maybe this Athelstan, whoever he was, could be the answer.

"Athelstan is my priest." Ranger answered with pride. Dean even in his drunken state could not help but notice the little _my_ in that sentence and once again he just had to comment.

"Does all Vikings have their own priest or is it only you who need a personal line to the Big Guy?" Dean laughed goofily at his own humorous statement and nudged Castiel in the side. The mentioning of God had immediately caught the angel's attention though, and now he looked intently at Viking for answer.

Ragnar burst into a laugh and placed his hand on Dean's shoulder. "Don't tell me you guys also believe in this mythical God who forbids everything that's worth doing?"

Dean and Castiel exchanged glances. Dean had not even considered that they did not believe in God in the Viking era, even though it was quite obvious. Thor was after all the reason why they were here, so of course they believed in the Nordic Gods. Castiel began to open his mouth to speak, but Dean hastily interrupted him.

"Err, we try to keep an open mind when it comes to the supernatural." Dean answered lamely and gave Castiel a stare that made it clear that they were on shaky ground and that he should try not to make the situation any worse with some religious rant.

"All right then. I, myself, feel a strong connection with the Gods, Odin especially. No, however, Athelstan can't speak with his God." Ragnar answered with a seriousness that surprised the two strangers, it did not seem like the Viking found the idea of speaking with the Gods Ludacris at all. "Athelstan is actually my slave." He ended and smiled at his guests.

"Your slave?" Castiel asked puzzled and he was not the only one. Dean gave the Viking an open-mouthed stare. Never had he heard slavery mentioned with such a positive tone and never accompanied by a smile, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Yeah, I brought Athelstan back from West England, when we plundered his monastery on the summer raid and then I decided to keep him." Ragnar's expression seemed to get a warm glow as he spoke of the priest. "Athelstan has showed himself to be very useful, he knows England and all it customs. He has also become a very close friend over time." He gave both of his guests a heart-warming smile, but before they had time to question him further he continued. "Enough about me. You two haven't had the pleasure of tasting my special lavender-honey mead yet. We have to rectify that immediately!" The Viking still had a hold of both the men's shoulders and led them purposely towards the other end of the Great Hall.

From a few feet away Lagertha had observed the little meeting and could not help but smile. Men could be so blind. It was obvious to her that the two guests were very close, maybe even as close as she knew her husband and Athelstan to be. Ragnar, however, seemed completely oblivious to the fact. Lagertha was not even sure the two men themselves knew exactly what they were to each other yet, but body language did not lie and the chemistry was thick between these two.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sam was conversing with a young woman, Helga, who was serving at the feast. She was friendly and very curious to hear all about the exciting places he had been, even though he had to tell her a very redacted version of the truth.

"Am I interrupting?" asked a familiar voice.

Sam turned around to look at Dean who stood with two mugs of mead and a knowing smile.

Sam was about to say something, but Helga excused herself with a comment about all the work that needed doing and left them.

"Not bad Sammy, not bad at all." Dead said and handed Sam one of the mugs, however, Sam was still looking after the girl with a huge grin on his face. "But be careful, we can't risk changing any timelines or the like."

Sam just snorted at him and took in the scent of the mead. It had a weak scent of lavender. "What is this?" He asked.

"Ragnar's special brew. He asked me to give you a mug. It's quite good actually." Dean answered and took a swig of his own.

Sam looked skeptically into the mug. It was probably as strong as the rest he had tasted and he was trying to hold back to keep a clear head. His politeness towards his host did, however, win out and he reluctantly tasted the mead. Just as expected, this mead was without doubt as strong as the rest, but the taste was rather refreshing. Sam noticed that Dean seemed a little more sober than last time he had seen him. Something must have happened, he thought.

"Cas is awake." Dean said, answering Sam's unspoken question.

"Good. How is he?" Sam asked.

"He looks to be alright, he's talking to Ragnar…" Dean answered.

Sam could not avoid hearing the slight bitterness in his brother's voice, but he was smart enough not to comment on it. Instead he followed Dean's gaze in the direction of the aforementioned angel and their host, who at the moment was standing a few feet away deep in conversation. That said, it looked like it was mostly Ragnar doing the talking, while Castiel concentrated on listening to what he was saying and he seemed rather interested as well.

Sam glanced back to Dean, who was now staring intensely at the two men. Sam could not bear to see his brother torment himself in such a way, so he decided to try and take his mind of the situation by changing the subject. "We should probably get some rest soon. Gather our strength so we are on our game tomorrow, we still need to figure out what to do with the hammer." Sam said looking at his brother.

Dean, however, still had his gaze fixed on Ragnar and Castiel. The only indicator Dean had actually heard what he had said to him was a low grumbling "mhmm" coming from him.

"We also need to find out what to do about the demon we dragged through with us." Sam continued. They should probably try to catch or kill the damned thing soon, before it wrecked irreparable havoc and changed the timelines.

Again Dean's reaction was almost non-existent, just a small nod to acknowledge that he had heard Sam. Sam sighed on the inside, it seemed he had to try a different strategy.

"Ragnar seems genuinely appreciative of Cas, and Cas seems quite interested in…"

"Yeah, let's go see what they are talking about." Dean interrupted and walked towards the two men. Oh yeah, Dean was definitely not jealous, Sam thought with an exasperated sigh while following his brother.

"Hey guys, what're you talking about?" Dean asked as he and Sam stopped in front of Ragnar and Castiel.

"Ragnar was just telling me about this sacrificial place where they worship. He believes this to be the place where we have the best chance of contacting their Gods." Castiel answered, "His extensive knowledge about the religious traditions could be of great use."

"Mhmm, impressive." Dean grumbled back with a stiff smile.

"I would believe so, yes." Castiel answered.

Castiel's compliment brought a smile to Ragnar's lips.

Dean gave Castiel an annoyed look, to which the angel looked questioningly back; he clearly did not understand where Dean's irritation towards Ragnar came from. Dean was also well aware that his irritation was illogical and stupid; Ragnar had jet to prove to be anything but helpful and hospitable. Dean sighed; he was no better than a teenager, constantly getting jealous about his crush talking to someone else. Wait, crush?!

"I propose that we ride out tomorrow." Ragnar said and interrupted Dean's inner discussion over his feelings for Castiel.

"Ride?" Sam asked a bit skeptical. He had not been near a horse since he had been out looking for Samuel Colt, which was over two years ago. Or actually, it was about 1100 years into the future. Time travelling was rather confusing.

"Yes, it's the fastest way to get there. It's quite a long way on foot." Ragnar answered Sam.

"Actually…" Begun Castiel, but Dean interrupted him.

"Alright. That sounds great. Hey Cas, can I talk to you for minute?" Dean asked while pulling Castiel away from Sam and Ragnar.

"Please tell me you were not just about to suggest that you teleport us to that sacrificial place?" Dean questioned him in a hushed tone so that no one else would overhear the conversation.

"Dean, it would save us a lot of time." Castiel pointed out.

"But at what price, Cas? You are not well enough. You were just passed out for several hours!" It was obvious to Dean that Castiel was still weak from the last travel. He could see that the angel still staggered a bit when walking and he looked more tired than usual. Castiel, of course, was as stubborn as Dean and refused to admit that he was still recovering.

"I'm fine Dean." Castiel assured him.

"I don't want them to find out that you are an angel either. Who knows what they'll do if they find out that you are magical." Dean was genuinely worried. Most people in the 21st Century would run away if they saw what Castiel was capable of, because they did not believe that anything like him existed. However, these Vikings believed in magic and multiple Gods, who knew what they might do to an angel.

"Dean, there is nothing these humans can do to me. They know of no magic that's harmful to angels."

"I beg you, just keep a low profile, okay? Please." Dean kept calm while waiting for an answer, he did not want to argue with Castiel, but he needed him to understand that it was for the best.

Castiel sighed. "All right."

"Thanks. Come on, let's get back to the others." Dean said and gestured in the direction of Sam and Ragnar.

"Everything all right?" Sam asked as Dean and Castiel once again joined him and Ragnar.

"Yeah, fine." Dean answered. "So, when are we leaving tomorrow?" He asked addressing Ragnar.

"At first light, as I said, it's a long way." Ragnar answered him.

Dean nodded. "Well then, I guess we should go get some sleep then." He did not look forward to what sounded like a whole day on horseback and probably with a good hangover to top it of.

"I will fetch someone to show you to your sleeping quarters." Ragnar said and left them with a polite nod to go find a slave that could accompany his guests.


End file.
